This workshop provides a holistic overview to the challenges and opportunities facing northern New England’s farms and farmers and share principles and tools land trusts, municipalities, and other practitioners can use to develop more farm-friendly communities. 

Core speakers include: Julia Freedgood– American Farmland Trust and Stephanie Morningstar– Northeast Farmers of Color Land Trust.

State specific contributors: Nancy Everhart– Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, Ellen Griswold– Maine Farmland Trust, Amy Manzelli– BCM Environmental and Land Law, and Jon Ramsay– Center for an Agricultural Economy.

Land trusts, municipalities, and non-profit organizations play essential roles in protecting the agricultural land base in northern New England. Building off of the series’ first workshop, “Supporting & Sustaining Farms, Farmers, and Farmland in your Community,” this workshop will provide an overview of farmland protection strategies that communities can use to protect farmland. Tools such as conservation easements, tax incentives, and funding mechanisms will be discussed. Participants will also learn about “beyond conservation” tools and partnerships that can be used to further protect farms for farmers and foster more equitable, resilient, farm-friendly communities.

Core speakers include: Adam Bishop– Maine Farmland Trust, and Stephanie Morningstar– Northeast Farmers of Color Land Trust.

State specific contributors include:  Donald Campbell– Vermont Land Trust, Nancy Everhart- Vermont Housing & Conservation Board, Jeremy Lougee– Southeast Land Trust of New Hampshire, and Brett Sykes– Maine Farmland Trust.

Climate change and loss of agricultural land to non-farming uses threaten New England agriculture. Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont all have state-based renewable energy

goals and farmland protection goals. This workshop provides an overview of smart solar siting principles, examples of co-locating solar on farmland, best management practices that enhance conservation outcomes, and solar and conservation easement compatibility. We’ll share examples of solar projects on farmland and discuss ways that towns and cities can adopt policies and practices to promote a balanced approach to solar developments while retaining and protecting agricultural land.

Core speakers include: Emily Cole, Ph.D.– American Farmland Trust and Jake Marley– Hyperion Systems, LLC.

State specific contributors include: Alex DePillis–  Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets, Ellen Griswold– Maine Farmland Trust, Lexie Hain- Agrivoltaic Solutions LLC., Nancy McBrady– Bureau of Agriculture, Food and Rural Resources Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry Alex Metzger– Monadnock Conservancy, Madeleine Mineau– Clean Energy NH, and Tyler Miller- Vermont Land Trust.

Affordable and secure access to land are significant barriers for the future of agriculture in northern New England. Land trusts, municipalities, and non-profit support organizations have powerful roles to play in helping farmers find, access, and be successful on farmland. This workshop will help registrants better understand the needs of diverse farm seekers and provide examples of strategies and tools municipalities and land trusts can use to promote farm access in their communities—including examples of creative partnerships and models that promote greater equity.

Core speakers include: Shemariah Blum-Evitts- Land for Good,  Stephanie Morningstar – Northeast Farmers of Color Land Trust

State specific contributors include: Land for Good’s Field Agents Cara Cargill (NH), Mike Ghia (VT) , and Abby Sadauckas (ME), Bo Dennis– MOFGA, Maggie Donin– Vermont Land Trust, Jeremy Lougee– Southeast Land Trust of New Hampshire, Anthony Munene– Fresh Start Farms, Tracey Pavan– Swell Farm, Jameson Small– ORIS/ Fresh Start Farms, Sam Smith– Intervale Center, and Nina Young– Maine Farmland Trust.

Many municipalities, land trusts, and non-profits working to support local farms and farmers are becoming increasingly aware of the inequities that Black, Indigenous, and People of Color, or BIPOC, face around the issue of land. Stephanie Morningstar, director of the Northeast Farmers of Color Land Trust, will delve into the historical context of land dispossession and racial inequities that BIPOC farmers face in northern New England. Registrants will learn about the needs of BIPOC farmers and strategies for becoming stronger allies to BIPOC farmers and advancing equity-based land access partnerships and projects in your communities. First-hand stories, case studies, tools, and resources for engaging in this work will be shared. We encourage both those interested in this topic and those who are still questioning the relevancy of this topic in their work to participate in this workshop.

Core speakers include: Stephanie Morningstar– Northeast Farmers of Color Land Trust’s (NEFOC) Director, with video presentations from Omar Hassan- Cooperative Development Institute, Christine Hutchinson, NEFOC’s Board of Directors and Leah Penniman- Soul Fire Farm.